Professional masters at public universities: Quality education or a money mill?

Various departments at public universities are finding it lucrative to run numerous professional masters courses, as professionals crowd the universities looking for ways to boost their career prospects with an additional post-graduate degree. While these degrees are a source of large revenues for the respective departments, there are doubts whether they are providing quality education. Some teachers and students say these degrees can easily be earned in exchange for money and without any real effort. Teachers involved with some of these courses claim that the programmes are beneficial to both their recipients and the regular students because the additional income can be spent developing the departments' facilities. Dhaka University (DU) Treasurer Prof Md Kamal Uddin railed against these degrees at a senate meeting on June 17. “Merchant-like teachers either do not know the meaning of ‘Knowledge and Skill’ or they have intentionally forgotten. Numerous evening masters programmes have been introduced under different names and the disease is spreading,” he said. “Poor students are being enrolled with or without admission tests, while many public universities including DU, are producing under-qualified graduates, only to make money.” Since 2002, professional masters programmes have been opened in nine departments under the DU business studies faculty. Each of these departments enrolls around 60 students in each semester, three times a year. The courses cost around Tk2.5 lakh. Students say with additional costs, they pay around Tk3 lakh as students have to pay readmission fees if they fail. Evening programmes were introduced at different departments under social sciences faculty, earth and environmental science faculty, and the faculty of arts. Apart from DU, professional courses are run by a number of public universities, including Jahangirnagar University (JU), Jagannath University and Rajshahi University, as a result of a strategic plan drawn up by the University Grant Commission (UGC).

Arbitrary rules govern evening and weekend courses

While these professional programmes are approved by the university authorities, they are yet to prepare any particular regulation on such programmes. According to DU authorities, 30% of the money earned from the evening programmes is supposed to go to university fund while rest of the money is distributed among the responsible faculties, departments, teachers and officials. However, sometimes a department or institute does not inform the authorities that they are running professional programmes. “Influential faculty deans, departmental chairs or directors of the institutes get approval from the vice chancellor for opening evening programmes, but no one has been appointed to monitor these programmes,” an official of the university told the Dhaka Tribune, asking anonymity. When contacted, Prof Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, dean of the faculty of business studies said that their programmes were transparent and they submitted annual audit reports, providing an accurate picture of the faculty and their financial statements. “Of the money earned, 30% goes to the university fund and 5% goes to the dean office to maintain everything, while 65% of the money is spent for the department, including the payments of teachers, employees and departmental development,” Prof Rubayat told the Dhaka Tribune.

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Every year thousands of students are being enrolled in different public universities to attain higher education under professional masters courses, but people are raising eyebrows at the standard of these degrees and quality of graduates |Rajib Dhar/Dhaka TribuneAt Jahangirnagar University, the Institute of Business Administration introduced a private masters programme in 2011. The university syndicate approved the course with conditions. Inspired by IBA, a number of departments and institutes have opened weekend programmes as these courses have become very profitable. Despite protests from general students and various students’ organisations, starting up a weekend masters has become a trend at the university. JU Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) Prof Abul Hossain said: “A primary set of regulations for weekend courses has been sent to the syndicate, but it is yet to be finalised. “The syndicate has sent it to another committee headed by VC Prof Farzana Islam to be verified.” JU authorities instructed departments and institutes to pay 18-20% of their incomes from such courses to the university fund initially, and later increase the payment to 25%. “The money is spent to build infrastructure, buy furniture and in developmental activities of the university,” Prof Abul said.

Teachers love it

Even a few years ago, public university teachers would be constantly blamed for taking classes at private universities. That scenario has completely changed in many departments now, with the professional masters courses taking the place of the lucrative private university jobs. A public university teacher who wished to remain anonymous admitted that it was a source of great distress for many of them that their peers who were bureaucrats or corporate officers earned a lot more. According to DU and JU officials, depending on their rank and workload, teachers can earn from Tk70,000 up to Tk1,10,000 each semester from these programmes. DU Finance Prof Mahmood Osman Imam said: “Everyone is benefitted from these courses. Classrooms are well-equipped with ACs, multimedia projectors, whiteboards and markers. Teachers are just taking money in exchange of work, as fee for teaching. “The university often pays teachers’ salaries with money earned from these programmes, due to budgetary shortfall,” he added. Seeking anonymity, a DU EMBA student told the Dhaka Tribune: “There is nothing positive in here except the certificates which are valuable in the job market. “Students have to pay Tk10,000 if attendance is less than 70%, Tk5,000 for missing a final exam and Tk1,500 for missing a midterm exam,” he said. DU Business faculty Dean Prof Rubayat said: “Money is not the main issue here. The state of higher education in the country is vulnerable. As teachers we are giving this additional service for the development of the country.”

Poor quality graduates, no admission tests

Although every year thousands of students are being enrolled in different public universities to attain higher education under these professional courses, people are raising eyebrows at the standard of these degrees and quality of graduates. Teachers, students and educationalists expressed worry over the admission procedure at these programmes and demanded proper monitoring. When this reporter posed as an admission-seeker at the DU political science department, one of its officials said: “We will provide you all the materials for study, so do not worry about getting in.” At JU, a number of departments, including the mathematics and economics department, are taking students without an admission test. The university seems reluctant to take action against these departments. Three batches have passed from the mathematics department, while the seventh batch is taking admission without admission test. A student from the programme told the Dhaka Tribune: “Teachers do not care about quality of education and there is nothing positive here except the public university certificates. “Students pay them, so they do not have to worry about getting marks or passing the exams.” When asked, JU Economics department Chairman Prof Md Nurul Hoque told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are enrolling students after proper assessment through a viva. There is no problem with the standard of the students.” “As our weekend courses are new and applicants are few, we are not taking an admission test. We will hold tests when applicants grow in number,” Prof Nurul said.

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Few years ago, public university teachers would be constantly blamed for taking classes at private universities. That scenario has completely changed now, with the professional masters courses taking the place of the lucrative private university jobs |Rajib Dhar/Dhaka Tribune

Depriving regular students

Undergraduate and graduate students of these departments appear to be the worst victims of these special programmes. Some allege that their teachers have dedicated their time and energy to the high-paying programmes. Post-graduate students say these “paid-for certificates” reduce their own competitiveness in the job market. JU philosophy Associate Professor Ryhan Rhyne said that regular students were being deprived as teachers were busy with the commercial courses. “In many departments with weekend programmes, 20-30 regular students fail every year while the results of the students of professional courses are excellent. It means that teachers are failing to take care of their regular students,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “While a regular student has to compete against thousands of aspirants to be enrolled in a public university, the students of weekend courses do not have to face that hurdle. Teachers do not obey the exam ordinance in case of weekend students,” he added. DU Students Union President Tuhin Kanti Das told the Dhaka Tribune: “Teachers are not attentive to the regular programmes and often the departments declare exam schedules, leaving regular courses incomplete.”

UGC’s hands tied

Despite this situation at the public universities, the UGC is yet to take any initiative to control and monitor these professional programmes. UGC officials say they face resistance as public universities are autonomous by law. UGC Chair Prof Abdul Mannan said: “We cannot monitor such programmes as the autonomous universities never ask for any regulations from the UGC. Moreover, we cannot monitor them under the existing laws and limited manpower.”

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Regular students of the universities appear to be the worst victims of these special programmes. Some allege that their teachers have dedicated their time and energy to the high-paying programmes |Rajib Dhar/Dhaka TribuneAccording to the UGC, the university should not relax admission requirements while enrolling and evaluating students for evening or weekend courses. They also suggest recruiting fresh teachers at public universities to run these programmes. “The admission requirements, procedure, educational expenses and students’ evaluation should be the same as regular students. Evening courses should be operated by a separate set of teachers,” Prof Mannan said. However, the DU administration says it is working to assess the overall scenario of evening and special programmes and planning to submit a report the vice chancellor within a few months. “In order to protect the university’s image, the authorities will take necessary steps to monitor these programmes and make them transparent,” DU Treasurer Prof Kamal said.